Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Matoaca’s lowest grade is for walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 94% of U.S. towns. At C− overall, Matoaca ranks 212th of 249 in Virginia. Nationally, it does better than a quarter of U.S. towns. It lags on incomes as well: the median household income is $70K, and just over a fifth of residents live below the poverty line. Where it does best is cost of living — a typical home costs about $251K, 2.9 years of the Richmond metro’s $87K median household income. Wales and Olive Hill is on the National Register of Historic Places. Only 8 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Matoaca.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places · Census LEHD, 2023.
Where Matoaca beats most towns.
2,403 counted in 2010 and 2,655 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Matoaca is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 829 in 1970, 2,655 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1911 and 7 maps from 1894 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Matoaca is unincorporated, so Chesterfield County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Matoaca.
Matoaca has homes that are cheap against local pay and sends most of its workers to Richmond and beyond, but it has poverty well above the Virginia rate.
Matoaca has 59 jobs for its 1,202 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The top destinations are Richmond (12%), Petersburg (6%) and Colonial Heights (5%). Its average trip to work is 33 minutes, above both the Virginia town median (27 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). The median commute is under 18 miles.
| Matoaca | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.4% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two figures for adults in Matoaca: 15% have diabetes, 41% have obesity. 19% of adults report frequent mental distress locally, against 16% in Virginia’s towns and 17% across U.S. towns. The share of adults in Matoaca who binge drink: 13%.
| Matoaca | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 33% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 34% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Matoaca | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 10.1% | 7.1% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 14.5% | 10.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 17% | 13.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 28° and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
69% of Matoaca’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 8%. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in nearly three fifths of U.S. communities. Flood insurance has paid out on 2 claims locally since 1999.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 2.9 years of the Richmond metro’s $87K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 93% of Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
76% of households live in a home they own in Matoaca.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Matoaca. Close and well known come first.
21 mi LandmarkHollywood Cemetery
22 mi LandmarkRobert E. Lee Monument
11 mi Ancient siteHenricus
21 mi MuseumWhite House of the Confederacy
22 mi Stadium & arenaRichmond Coliseum
38 mi MuseumJamestown SettlementHollywood Cemetery: Andrew Bain, Public domain · Robert E. Lee Monument: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Henricus: Morgan Riley, CC BY-SA 3.0 · White House of the Confederacy: AlbertHerring, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Richmond Coliseum: Mentes at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jamestown Settlement: Warfieldian, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Matoaca
About 7 of every 100 Matoaca residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Where Matoaca’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
CDP in Virginia, United States
Matoaca is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,725 at the 2020 census. It is named after the Pamunkey Paramount Chief’s daughter Matoaka who was better known by her nickname "Pocahontas". It was near the site of an Appomattoc village Matoka or Matoks, which was reputedly her girlhood home, and the palace town of the weroansqua Oppussoquionuske. In 2016 it was listed as No. 42 in CNN Money's Top 50 Places to Live in the United States.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Matoaca.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matoaca | #212 | C− | B | — | B | C |
| Ettrick | #95 | A− | A | — | B | B |
| Petersburg | #241 | D− | B | D | D | D |
Matoaca and Ettrick report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Matoaca with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Matoaca grades C− overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #212 of 249 in Virginia. It grades C for health and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
The typical home is worth about $251,000, 39% below the Virginia typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
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